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Please help explain

Hi there, I have come to this forum looking for help figuring out what to do about my AC unit, and to be sure that I have exhausted all options. I am disabled on a low income, and am freaking out. I was out of town and my neighbor walking my dog called to tell me my AC wasn't working and it was boiling in the house.

Long story short, the AC company came and checked it out. They left me an invoice that said "unit is locked pulling 120 amps, tried new hardstart did not help, old hard start had come apart due to high amperage draw. Needs new compressor."

This is a 7 year old Rheem unit, don't know the size but when it was new it was high efficiency.

I have a couple of questions, the first being about what that even means as far as pulling those amps. And why I had a hard start put in not even a year ago that had come apart? At the time the tech said it was optional, but would extend the life of the unit considerably. Well it has been 11 months.

Next, I want to be sure I shouldn't call an electrician first. Everything was fine, and 2 weeks ago my neighbor came and installed a digital thermostat since the old one wasn't digital and he said I would save money. Immediately, the AC stopped working. He came out the next day and said one of the wires, that went from the thermostat to the compressor, had popped out. He put it back in, but said the wire was very thin. He came out yesterday and checked to see if that was the problem but he said the wire was in there, but I wonder if it is a problem with the thin-ness of the wire, or could somehow be related to the thermostat? It seems like a strange coincidence that the compressor appears to have been blown out by high amps.

He is not an electrician.

I have a call in to the tech who came out here since yesterday, but so far I haven't heard anything.

But let's just say hypothetically that that same wire broke behind the wall. Would the AC tech be able to tell that when he checked the compressor? Or would he just assume the compressor was broken since he tried everything and couldn't get it to start?

Anyone know how much the range is for something like this, if I do need a new compressor, in the Atlanta area?

Thanks for any help you can provide, I just don't know what to do. And it is 9 am and already 86 degrees in here.

The locked rotor amp draw means the compressor is seized.
It was probably showing troubles when the tech was there last year, and that is why he recomended the hard start kit. To try and get you longer life from the compressor.

You might want to se if your local Community Action Program can help you.

As far as cost, we don't talk about prices here. As it varies from one area to the next.
And it is against the rules.

Model

Well on the unit it says it is a Rheem Classic 10 SEER "Scroll Inside." Don't know how many tons, but it is for approx 1800 sq. ft. Knowing this builder, it's probably the minimum adequate size for this house. It never gets freezing cold in here, it works very hard.